Pablo Zabaleta Provides Update on His West Ham Future

Pablo Zabaleta playing for West Ham United. | James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images

Pablo Zabaleta has said that he will leave West Ham at the end of the contract, bringing an end to his three years in east London.

The 35-year-old joined the Hammers from Manchester City in 2017, after a successful stint where he won two Premier League titles. With his contract at the London Stadium expiring this summer, he has confirmed that he will be moving on at the end of his current deal.

Speaking to Argentine radio station Radio Continental, Zabaleta said: “I am quite clear that I am leaving England when my contract with West Ham ends. Then I will make a decision personally and professionally, now it is difficult because we do not know what will happen to football.”

While the Argentine made it clear that he will leave the Premier League this summer, his next steps are still not certain. He seemed to be hinting that he will consider retirement, which would bring an end to an 18-year professional career.

Zabaleta added: “I will sit down with my family and we will make a decision. I want to live with my family in Barcelona. Now I am at that stage when you have days that you think about going on for a couple of years or that a guy in training ruins you and you think about leaving.”

Zabaleta signed for West Ham on a free transfer in May 2017, having won six trophies in a wonderful nine years at Manchester City. He made 333 appearances for the Citizens, helping them end their 44-year wait for a top flight league title in 2012, before winning another two years later.

The then 32-year-old was a welcome addition at West Ham, with his experience helping them to truly establish themselves in the top flight. He made 79 appearances in the capital, earning a one-year contract extension last year that took him up to this summer.

The Argentine’s family currently lives in Barcelona, after the defender spent three years in the Spanish city when he arrived from his native Argentina. He signed for Espanyol from San Lorenzo in 2005, making a century of appearances before leaving for City.